Perhpas one of the Internet’s biggest paradoxes is between its ability to foster voice for those who might otherwise not be heard in society and the dangers that result from developing and presenting that voice to others. The tragic story of Kiki Kannibal, a Florida teen who recieved numerous threats and abuse from her provocative on-line profile, serves as a prime example of the challenges present in “putting oneself out there.”

On the other hand, Emily Nussbaum has a great piece in New York Magazine about the blogosphere as a vibrant space for a new generation of feminists. The feminist blogosphere has created a discourse space where young women are able to develop their identity as feminists and engage with ideas and, on occasion, mobilize against mysoginistic practices.

Somewhere embedded in this paradox is the issue of ownership of one’s personal presentation or the ability to be seen for who you think you are. While this is never guaranteed, more can be done in terms of ensuring that making snap judgments about people because of their on-line persona is limited. Helen Nisselbaum urges us to think of privacy on-line as being able to maintain contextual integrity or the extent to which information about a person is seen in relation to other relevant data.

Frank Pasquale recommends developing a system of governmental reputation regulation. Germany’s recent legislation prohibiting employers from using Facebook profiles to deny employment is a prime example of such regulation.

While this might address formal discrimination based on the misuse of on-line data, it doesn’t address the psychological harm of cyberbullying. Already we’re witnessing a ramped-up public service campaign designed to change norms around cyberbullying. Groups like stopcyberbullying.org are working to raise awareness about the harm that cyberbullying does. But these efforts need to be part of a broader campaign to teach digital ethics. To move people away from the idea that the on-line space is “a world apart” from their off-line lives.